Tuesday, June 10, 2014

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

By William Stafford, from The Way It Is, 1998

I posted it on facebook (though I really don't post there much), then I got to thinking about this poem and thinking about my "thread." The one that keeps me from getting lost/hurt/--that which goes among things that change. I guess I could say "faith" that "all will be as it must be", but that thread is a bit exalted. I have another thread that I don't ever let go of, and that thread is embodied in the name of this blog---"play." I love to play, and playing at anything creative is the thread I hope to hang on to until I have lost the ability to hang on.

OK, that is enough seriousness for now.

That "thread" enables me to go wherever and whatever creative muse takes me. Right now, I am playing at using as many of the things I like to play with and finding new ways to use them. You know I love my silkscreens!! I have also been cutting stencils to use with paint (although I will also be able to use them with clay when that clay muse wakes up), but in the meantime, I am intrigued with journaling (really just messing about) on book pages and trying out all the ways to do that. It takes a bit of time to dry paint and to keep it from sticking pages to each other, and smudging, I have to hop from one thing to another and then go back when things are dry, etc. I have been intrigued with the idea of creating acrylic skins to use in collages, etc and found several places on the inernet that get through the basics. But I wondered if my silkscreens could be integrated into acrylic skins, and they can! I have done a few experiments, but now am ready to go at it more seriously. It is a process that takes a few days to accomplish. I have created a video that explains part one.

Part two will be later today when the initial paint dries I will then apply liquid clear tar gel which will take about 24 hours to dry before revealing the product. I did experiment with abstract "skin" a few weeks ago, which is similar to most of the types I found on You Tube, I squirted black, red and white paint onto a polypropylene page protector, let that dry, then squeegeed (used a credit card) a very thin layer of either clear tar gel, or liquid pouring gel (can't remember which now), I think this one was the liquid pouring gel and got a sheet of this, you can barely see in lower right hand corner where I was beginning to peel it up from the page protector.

When dry and pulled up as a sheet, I decided to try to make a bracelet with it. The gold bracelet in the background is one I made with hot glue and gold leaf, I have not shared that hobby with all of you "yet." Will do someday soon, I have made the most amazing pieces of jewelry using hot glue! Again, "Play" is that thread. Anyway, I was exploring pushing the envelope a bit with what can be done with these skins. If you google acrylic skins, you will see what is out there. Anyway, I used a hot glue structure and wrapped a piece of the acrylic skin onto the glue structure and created this very funky bracelet.

Will post again when I have more results. Meanwhile, I have been having lots of fun with the book pages and silkscreens/paint, etc. Here are a few more recent projects: